Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to lead the Zuhr prayer exactly at midday when the sun was still clear and bright. He would lead the Asr prayer when the sun was still shining. He would offer the Maghrib prayer as soon as its time began. As for the Isha prayer, sometimes he would offer it early and sometimes late; when he saw that people had gathered, he would offer it early, and if people did not gather quickly, he would delay the prayer (and wait for the people). As for the Fajr prayer, the Companions or (he said that) the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer it in darkness.

Sayyiduna Abu Barzah Aslami رضي الله عنه was asked about the times of prayer, so he said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to perform the Zuhr prayer when the sun had declined. When he performed the Asr prayer, a person could go to the farthest edge of Madinah, but the sun would still be present. Regarding Maghrib, I do not remember what he said. And for Isha, he did not feel it wrong to delay it until a third of the night had passed, and he disliked sleeping before it and talking after it. When he finished the Fajr prayer, every person could recognize the one sitting next to him, and he would recite between sixty and a hundred verses in both rak‘ahs or in one of them.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that I heard from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Congregational prayer is twenty-five degrees better than praying alone, and the angels of the night and day gather at the Fajr prayer. Then Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If you wish to recite, then recite this verse from (Bani Isra'il 78), that is, the angels are present at the recitation of the Holy Qur'an in Fajr.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer in congregation is superior to the prayer offered alone by twenty-seven degrees.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: By Him in Whose hand is my soul, I had intended to order for the collection of firewood, then command for the prayer to be established, then appoint someone to lead the people in prayer, and I would go to those men (who do not attend the congregational prayer) and burn their houses down upon them. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if those who do not participate in the congregation knew that they would find a meaty bone or two fine hoofs in the mosque, they would surely attend the ‘Isha congregation in the mosque.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the Fajr and ‘Isha prayers, and if they knew how great their reward is (and they could not walk), they would come crawling on their knees. And I had intended to order the mu’adhdhin to pronounce the iqamah, then appoint someone to lead the prayer, and I would go with firebrands to burn the houses of those who had not yet come out for the prayer.

Sayyiduna ‘Itban bin Malik Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and participated in the Battle of Badr on behalf of the Ansar, came to the service of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said,“O Messenger of Allah, there has been some weakness in my eyesight, and I used to lead my people in prayer, but when the rainy season comes, the valley between me and my people fills up and begins to flow, and I cannot go to the mosque to lead them in prayer. O Messenger of Allah, I wish that you would come to my house and pray (at some place) so that I may make it a place of prayer.”The narrator said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to ‘Itban,“Insha’Allah, I will fulfill your wish.”‘Itban said,“(The next day) when the day had risen, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) both came, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sought permission to enter. I granted permission. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the house, he did not sit and asked, ‘In which part of your house do you wish me to pray?’ Hazrat ‘Itban said, ‘I pointed to a corner of the house.’ So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood at that place and said the takbir. We also stood behind him and formed a row. He (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in two (nafl) rak‘ahs of prayer, then made salam.”‘Itban said,“We detained him (peace and blessings be upon him) for a short while and presented him with haleem, which had been prepared for him.”‘Itban said,“A gathering of the people of the neighborhood assembled in the house. One person from the gathering said, ‘Malik bin Dukhshum or (he said) Ibn Dukhshum is not to be seen.’ At this, someone else said, ‘He is a hypocrite who has no love for Allah and His Messenger.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) heard this and said, ‘Do not say so. Do you not see that he has said la ilaha illallah, and his intention is purely to seek the pleasure of Allah?’ Then the one who accused him of hypocrisy said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best. We only see his inclinations and friendship with the hypocrites.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Allah has made the fire of Hell forbidden for the one who says la ilaha illallah, if his intention is solely and purely to seek the pleasure of Allah.’”

Sayyiduna Mahmud bin Rabi’ radiyallahu ‘anhu narrates that I remember the Messenger of Allah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam very well, and I also remember him rinsing his mouth from the bucket at my house (which he poured into my mouth). Then he narrated the previous hadith from Sayyiduna ‘Itban bin Malik al-Ansari radiyallahu ‘anhu.

Sayyida Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray while I, despite being in menstruation, would be in front of him. Often, when he would prostrate, his garment would touch me, and he used to pray on a small mat made of palm leaves.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The reward for offering prayer in congregation is twenty-five times greater than the prayer offered at home or in the market, because when any one of you performs ablution and does it well, then comes to the mosque solely for the purpose of prayer, then for every step he takes, Allah raises him one degree and forgives him one sin. In this way, when he enters the mosque, after entering the mosque, as long as he remains waiting for the prayer, he is considered to be in the state of prayer. And as long as he remains seated in the place where he offered the prayer, the angels pray for Allah’s mercy upon him, saying: O Allah, forgive him; O Allah, have mercy on him, as long as he does not harm (the angels) by passing wind.